William s



Patented Sept. 27, I898.

No. su,2s9.

w. s. SEYMOUR.

STICK 0R BOD FOR UMBRELLAS 0R PARASOLS.

(Application filed Feb. 18, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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m: NORRIS PzrtRs co. FNOTO-LITHO NITED STATES FFIQ Q PATENT" IVILLIAM S. SEYMOUR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ANDREW J. COHEN, OF SAME PLACE.

STICK OR ROD FO'R UMBRELLAS OR PARASOLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,289, dated September 27, 1898.

A Application filed February 18, 1898. Serial No. 670,804:- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. SEYMOUR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sticks or Rods for Umbrellas or. Parasols, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to metallic tubes adapted principally for use as umbrella-sticks and the like, and has for its object to provide a metallic tube of small diameter,of minimum weight, and great strength and rigidity. A further object is to provide such a tube for said purposes at the least possible cost.

I am aware that metal rods formed of a multiple of layers of a heavy plate or plates folded, wound, or coiled have heretofore been invented, designed to be furnished to the trade as what are known as merchant bars or rounds; also, heavy metal plates have been wound in two or more layers for use as car-axles, the ends of the solid axle being welded into the respective ends of the tube; also, tubes of metal of two or more layers in coils or otherwise having their longitudinal edges secured in or by an upturned lip or channel; also, tubes of single layer with edges brazed or soldered for umbrellas or walkingsticks, &c. All of these I would state, primarily, I am familiar with and do not broadly claim as my invention, my object being to provide, as hereinbefore stated, a metallic tube or stick for umbrellas, &c. of novel construction, of a minimum weight, and great rigidityandstrength. Experiencehasshown that a tube of single layer of material in order to be brazed or soldered at the edges has to be of a proportionately and a comparatively heavy material to have strength and rigidity and even then is apt under strain to open at the joint, and this is specially the case near the plug or ferrule of an umbrella tube.

In carrying out my invention it has been my aim to devise a construction wherein a rod of the smallest practical diameter for umbrella-sticks, &c., can be produced and at the same time develop the greatest possible strength and stiffness and yet the weight minimized. It will be clear to those familiar with the art of metal-workin g that these characteristics and requisites of a tube in this branch of manufacture are material and es sential.

Myinvention enables me to use taggers iron or tin,which is as thin as papernamely, .0064 of an inch thickor the lightest and thinnest metal that has ever been made or known in the art of metal-working. It is obvious that rigidity or stiffness in a sheet or strip of metal can only be obtained by hardening and making dense the outer surfaces by rolling or otherwise. It therefore is evident that the rigidity of' the metal tube now in use is limited to the density or hardness of the two faces on the single sheet or strip of metal, whereas by my invention I-acquire four hardened faces from two layers of metal, six hardened faces from three layers of metal, and so on. It must be understood that three layers of metal .0064 of an inch. thick would not equal the weight of the lightest umbrellatube, and yet would yield six hardened faces. By my invention I am able to acquire a stronger and better joint than has been obtained heretofore. As by my invention I have no open or single seams, the back or under part of each seam being supported bya layer of metal, and as the comparatively thin metal is held by solder much more firmly than is a heavy strip of metal the great strength I acquire is apparent. An apt illustration of thisfact is the sardine-can. In very thin metal the metal itself will actually tear or break before the solder holding it will yield.

Therefore in my invention employing such thin metal as taggers iron or even tin-plate the soldering itself will not yield, while the strength and rigidity of the sheet metal is obtained by the. multiple numbers of layers, which maybe as many as desired.

Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a tube made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2isa cross-section of the same on an exaggerated scale. Fig. 3 represents a blank from which the tube is formed. Where the diameter of the tube desired is the same, the blank willbe regulatedin width in accordance with the number of layers desired to be produced in the rolled tube. Fig. 4 represents a blank from which another form of tube embodying my invention is constructed having the central or intermediate layer corrugated longitudinally. Fig. 5 is a cross-section, on an exaggerated scale, representing the central or intermediate layer corrugated longitudinally. Fig. (l is a perspective view of a tube containing my invention tapering from the top portion to the end portion, illustrating an umbrella-stick with finely-tapering point yet of great strength.

In constructing my improved tube the metal strip a, forming the blanlghaving been previously cut to the desired size, is rolled or wound transversely to its length upon a mandrel or otherwise into the desired form, having the desired number of layers, which may be two or more, preferably more than two. I then solder the adjacent surfaces together, or a portion of the same, preferably by immersing the tube thus formed in a bath of molten metal, the solder entering between the layers and uniting adjacent surfaces together, the surfaces of thelayers having been of course previously prepared for the reception of the solder, as usual in soldering. The object of employing a multiple number of layers is to obtain a greater amount of hardened superficial area, which thus allows of a greater soldering-surface.

In Figs. 4 and 5 l have shown a modification having a centrally-disposed interior corrugated surface, and by this arrangement ob tain even a greater amount of hardened superficial area with the same number of layers than in the other form. The strip out of which this form of tube is constructed is made wider than would ordinarily be required for the three-layer form and has its central portion f corrugated or crimped longitudinally, as shown in Fig. 5. When the strip thus formed is wound int-o the tubular form of stick, the corrugated portion forms of itself one layer and the plain portions form the other layers. The greatly-increased superficial area of the tubing in this form will be apparent at a glance and allows the solder more readily to enter.

It will be apparent that a tube made in accordance with my invention may be constructed by uniting adjacent surfaces of the layers by other well-known methods than by dipping in a bath of solder, and it is also clear that it will not be necessary to apply solder to all the adjacent surfaces of the respective layers, as sufficient rigidity may be attained in my im proved construction by uniting a portion of the adjacent surfaces. It is also clear that the tube by this construction may, if desired, be readily made in a tapering form, so that the end of the umbrella-stick may be of a diameter considerably less than the diameter of the portion nearest the handle.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a new article of manufacture an umbrella stick or tube comprising two or more layers of metal, said metal being rolled very thin to present in the formed tube of minimum diameter in cross-section a maximum surface area in opposinglayers for the application of the soldering metal, said layers being formed from a single sheet and wound in a direction transverse to its length, one layer wound upon the other in close proximity and fusible soldering metal provided between adjacent surfaces whereby the adjacent surfaces are made coherent, substantially as described.

2. As a new article of manufacture a tubular stick or rod for umbrellas and the like consisting of a strip of metal wound in a direction transverse to its length in the form of a tapering tube of greater diameter in crosssection at one end than at the other having two or more windings to form a plurality of layers, the adjacent surfaces of said layers being united by soldering metal provided between said adjacent layers, substantially as described.

3. A tubular stick or rod for umbrellas, parasols and the like consisting of a strip of metal the longitudinal central portion of which is crimped or corrugated, said strip being wound into tubular form in a direction transverse to its length, and having two or more windings so that one of the plain portions forms the inner walls of the tube and another the outer walls, the crimped central portion forming an intermediate layer between the two.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 17th day of February, A. D. 1898.

\VILLIAM S. SEYMOUR.

Witnesses:

A. J'. COHEN, HORACE Pn'rrrr. 

